From puritita@rn.com Wed Feb 13 15:57:04 2002
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 05:40:56 +0000 (UTC)
From: puritita@rn.com
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Subject: Frijoles (Mexican Beans)
Followup-To: rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes

Frijoles (Mexican Beans)

2 cup Dried pinto beans 
Water 
1/2 lb. Salt pork 
1 Large onion, chopped 
1 Clove garlic, crushed 
1 Tbsp Chili powder 
1/4 tsp Ground cumin 
1/2 tsp Oregano (preferably Mexican oregano) 

Soak beans in water overnight. Pour off soaking water and add fresh water to 
cover.  Add salt pork, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin and  oregano. Simmer 
on low heat at least 4 hours or until water is  absorbed and mixture is thick.  
Correct seasonings, if necessary.  Makes 8 to 10 servings. 

Cooking Dried Beans -- To Soak or Not to Soak: Dried beans will 
 cook faster if they are soaked. Cover beans with water, soak 
 them overnight, drain, and then cook according to your recipe. 
 Do NOT EVER cook beans in the soaking water. 

A shortcut to overnight soaking is to cover the beans with water, 
bring them to a boil, turn off the heat, cover, and let them set 
for 1 hour. Then, drain and cook as usual. 
People in areas with particularly hard water can cook their beans 
till the cows come home, and the beans are still tough or not 
thoroughly done. 
If that has been a problem, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to 
the cooking water, and you will have one less problem. 

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